October 30, 2011

CAA Rewind, Inverted Standings Edition

You wake up one morning and hear nutritionists tout the McRib as a healthy alternative, lower Manhattan bank executives grab signs and line up alongside Occupy Wall Street protesters, and Glenn Beck say, "What do I have to gripe about? All things considered, America is in pretty good shape right now."

That's pretty much where we are with CAA football, as the calendar flips to November. How else to explain the teams picked to finish 9th, 10th and 11th occupying three of the top four spots in the standings?

Or a program that's two years removed from a national championship and one year away from the semifinals (Villanova) falling off a cliff? Or a team with an FBS win (Richmond) unable to scratch within the conference? Or a program known for productive, if not exceptional, quarterback play (idle William and Mary) that looks like it ought to try running the Wishbone?

Go ahead. We'll wait.

Maine (9th) sits atop the conference standings, the only unbeaten league team at 5-0. Towson (11th) is tied for second at 4-1. Old Dominion (10th) is alone in fourth at 4-2 in its first year as a competing CAA member and third year of existence.

A recap of another peculiar Saturday in CAA Land:

ODU improbably knocked off James Madison 23-20 as quarterback Taylor Heinicke again prompted opponents to send private dicks to the Atlanta area in search of a birth certificate to prove that he's a freshman and is who he says he is.

Rumors that Heinicke is actually a 31-year-old former semi-pro ballplayer and pool hustler from Ocala, Fla., who went by the name Tooter McFadden have yet to be proven.

In any case, Heinicke flummoxed JMU's defense, and Ronnie Cameron and the Monarchs' defense rag-dolled Madison's injury-plagued offense much of the second half.

ODU's remaining games are home against Richmond next Saturday and at William and Mary. Win one and the Monarchs are assured a spot in the NCAA playoffs.

Speaking of the Spiders, they are 0-5 in the CAA for the first time since 1989. They had achieved maximum anguish, losing three games by a total of six points, but Saturday they imploded offensively in a 28-7 home loss to UMass.

Aaron Corp, who set an FCS completion percentage record earlier this season, was picked off four times, and UR also lost a pair of fumbles. UMass led 21-0 just 14 minutes into the game and cruised from there. With Richmond's help, UMass' average starting field position was the Richmond 47.

A team that three years ago won the national championship and two years ago lost in the FCS quarterfinals is now reduced to playing for pride and trying to play spoiler.

Maine is alone in first after a 41-25 win at Villanova -- a "cycle" game if ever there was one. The Black Bears are playing upperclassmen who have learned from their experiences, while 'Nova is relying on kids after graduating a large group responsible for its recent success.

Maine quarterback Warren Smith was 17-for-22 for 251 yards and 2 TDs, plus he rushed for another 75 yards and a score.

The game was decided in the third quarter. Trailing 13-6, 'Nova drove inside the Maine 10 on its first two possessions of the second half and came up with nothing -- a missed field goal and a sack on fourth down.

Both times Maine answered with quick touchdowns. Smith hit Arthur Williams for 80 yards on the first play, then ran 29 yards for a touchdown on a three-play, 84-yard drive. Suddenly, it's 28-6. Ball game.

Towson's seat-of-the-pants good fortune ended Saturday against a Delaware team that finally showed some resilience, dropping the Tigers into a second-place tie.

The Blue Hens, who had lost their previous two, got an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Travis Hawkins. But the play of the game might have been an 80-yard kickoff return by Michael Johnson.

Towson had just taken a 10-0 lead, but Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff to the Tigers' 11, setting up a short touchdown drive. Delaware then forced a Terrance West fumble and turned that into a touchdown. It was 14-10 and game on.

Tigers' QB Grant Enders, who had thrown just four interceptions in the first six games, threw two in the fourth quarter -- one at the Delaware 21. West, who rushed for 155 yards, had just 28 yards in the second half.

New Hampshire is the only upper-tier squad to defy this season's inversion phenomenon. The Wildcats (6-2, 4-1 CAA) were picked fourth and are presently tied for second after Saturday's 31-24 win against Rhody.

Still, it feels like a high-wire act. The Wildcats lead the CAA in total offense (447.9), but are last in total defense (450.9). They remain 120th and dead last in the nation in pass defense, 113th in total defense and 96th in scoring defense (32.5).

On Saturday, they trailed Rhody 24-21 after squandering a 21-6 lead, but were bailed out by quarterback Kevin Decker and the offense. Decker led two scoring drives after Rhody had taken the lead, and the UNH offense ran out the last 4:41 to preserve the win. Decker, third in the nation in total offense, accounted for 335 yards and a touchdown.

Rhode Island, meanwhile, had a penalty nullify a touchdown that would have given it a 30-28 lead, then missed a field goal that would have pulled it within one point.

The teams at the top of the standings find ways to win, while the others scuffle along. Weird.

October 23, 2011

CAA Rewind, Road Warrior Edition

Towson's unashamed gambler of a coach, Rob Ambrose, was asked about the significance of his team's 38-27 win Saturday at William and Mary.

“Take the logo off my shirt and anybody who won a road game today in our league, it doesn’t matter where you were, that’s amazing,” Ambrose said. “Winning on the road in our league is next to turning lead to gold. It’s really that hard.”

Towson, Maine and Old Dominion pulled off road wins Saturday, with varying degrees of drama, and it's no coincidence that all three are in the upper half of the CAA standings. The Tigers and Maine are tied for first, while ODU is fifth, but controls its postseason destiny in its final three games.

The Monarchs (6-2, 3-2 CAA) dusted a young and sloppy Villanova team 37-14, taking their foot off the gas in the second half. Maine (6-1, 4-0 CAA) spotted Richmond a 16-point lead and came from 13 back in the final 13 minutes to win 23-22. Towson (6-1, 4-0 CAA) flummoxed the Tribe's quality defense with passes and runs.

Elsewhere, New Hampshire got a pseudo road win, beating UMass 27-21 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., as the Minutemen wind down their last season of CAA and FCS competition before ascending to the glory that is FBS Mid-American Conference football.

Rhode Island was the only team to hold serve, beating Delaware 38-34 in Kingston for its first conference win.

Towson's win at William and Mary was part of a stunning reversal for the Tigers' program. Picked to finish 11th in preseason, Towson has won as many games thus far as in the three previous seasons combined. The Tigers have won more CAA road games this year (2) than in the past four seasons combined.

They pulled off a dramatic 39-35 win at Old Dominion the week before, scoring 15 points in the last 3 1/2 minutes in a game in which they appeared dead in the water after three quarters. The comeback was capped off by a drawn-up-on-the-sidelines-during-a-timeout pass play on 4th-and-29 that quarterback Grant Enders and receiver Tom Ryan turned into a 63-yard touchdown.

The William and Mary win wasn't nearly as dramatic, though Ambrose flashed his gambler side. Three times he went for it on fourth down -- once in his own territory in the first quarter -- and converted all three.

Ambrose's biggest head scratcher was going for it on 4th-and-1 at the W&M 3-yard line, ahead 35-27 with 3:21 remaining. A chip-shot field goal would have made it a two-score game and likely clinched the win. Enders pile-drove for the first down, but the Tigers had to settle for a field goal anyway and a 38-27 lead. All they did, essentially, was burn another minute off the clock and force William and Mary to use timeouts.

Had Enders been stuffed on fourth down, the Tribe's suddenly productive offense would have been able to tie with a touchdown and two-point conversion. So why do it?

Ambrose said that the angle of the field goal attempt would have been severe for his sophomore kicker, D.J. Soven, and he didn't want to put him in that position.

“I would have rather missed on fourth down and pinned them,” Ambrose said, “than have them get all jacked up about us losing points. I’d rather miss on the offensive side of the ball than miss on the special teams side. So there’s some philosophy that goes into it.”

Ambrose also corrected those of us who believed that it was Towson's first victory against William and Mary in eight tries. It was the second, he said. Growing up in Middletown, Md., Tribe coach Jimmye Laycock and former assistant Tom Brattan recruited him. But Ambrose instead went to Towson, playing for and then coaching with the man he eventually replaced, Gordy Combs.

"No one expected us to be here, to be where we are," Ambrose said of first place in the CAA.

Truer words were never spoken.

Maine again pulled off some special teams magic for its second CAA road win of the season. The Black Bears pulled off a two-point conversion by their backup quarterback to win at JMU in overtime two weeks earlier.

Against Richmond, Maine blocked two extra points, the second of which Jerron McMillan returned for two points. Instead of being ahead 23-7 with 13:09 left, the Spiders led just 22-9 -- a two-score game. That play, Maine coach Jack Cosgrove said, gave his team life.

Quarterback Warren Smith (31-for-51 for 289 yards, 1 TD, 2 int) directed touchdown drives on Maine's next two possessions to take the lead. Richmond went 3-and-out and 5-and-out on its next two possessions, and saw its final drive die at the Maine 44.

UR quarterback Aaron Corp (32-for-44 for 301 yards, 2 TD) was 6-for-11 and was sacked three times on the Spiders' last three possessions. Tre Gray, who set UR career records for receptions and yardage in the game, was limited to just two catches for eight yards in the second half.

Old Dominion took care of business in the first half, rolling to a 30-14 halftime lead. The Monarchs accumulated 270 of their 381 yards in the first half, with freshman QB Taylor Heinicke again very efficient -- 23 of 32 for 204 yards and two TDs, with no picks. He directed a 75-yard TD drive just before halftime that essentially decided the outcome against a 'Nova team with quarterback and experience issues.

The Monarchs were content to run the ball in the second half -- no small feat, given how thin they were at running back. Injuries left them with redshirt freshman Angus Harper, freshman Lorenzo Smith, a converted cornerback, and sophomore Rashad Manley, a converted quarterback.

Smith led ODU with 76 yards and a touchdown, and Harper added 47 and a score. Heinicke also rushed for a TD and kept plays alive with his feet.

New Hampshire didn't put together a massive offensive display, but Dontra Peters accumulated 208 all-purpose yards, and the Wildcats played well enough to win in what might have been the final meeting between the longtime New England rivals.

Rhode Island quit committing turnovers and scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from a 21-all tie against Delaware. Five of Rhody's first 11 possessions ended in turnovers or a missed field goal attempt.

October 20, 2011

The Emperor Drops By

George Bodenheimer, the president of ESPN and ABC Sports, parachuted in to William and Mary on Wednesday to talk about the self-proclaimed World Wide Leader in Sports -- past, present and future -- and to answer questions from a largely supportive audience.

Bodenheimer appeared at the request of Jim Spence, a former vice president of ABC Sports who now teaches a class at William and Mary. He spoke at the Sadler Center auditorium before a crowd of a couple hundred. He brought some old photos, some clips of ESPN footage, some of the network's very entertaining commercials, and various visuals that illustrated the network's reach.

Bodenheimer didn't make himself available for a separate give-and-take with media gerbils. But he did address a few topical issues brought up by audience members in a Q&A session following his roughly 30-minute presentation, and he hung around for a few minutes afterward and chatted with audience members who approached.

Among his more noteworthy answers: The network does not exhibit a bias toward major markets and marquee teams in its programming; its money and broadcast affiliations don't affect its journalistic duties; it was fairly easy to part ways with country music star and Monday Night Football intro presence Hank Williams Jr., after his recent comments about the president; he sidestepped a question about a college football playoff; the network embraces social media, albeit carefully; ESPN will continue to expand in the areas of international, college and high school broadcasting.

We'll elaborate a bit on some of Bodenheimer's answers, but must paraphrase heavily. The sound quality through his mic was a bit fuzzy and made taping and quotation difficult.

Bodenheimer's own story is interesting. He is 53, a 1980 graduate of Denison University, and he came up at ESPN, literally, from the ground floor. He began in the mailroom and, he said Wednesday, he was the company's 151st employee. He now oversees an empire of more than 7,000 employees with ubiquitous presence in TV, print and digital media.

Because the company was so small when he arrived, he said that he knew everyone within a week, since he delivered their mail. One of his duties was to drive executives and guests to and from the company's Bristol, Conn., headquarters to the airport in Hartford. He said that on those 40-minute trips he had a captive audience and was able to pick the brains of a lot of smart people.

Bodenheimer said that after some consideration, he decided that the sales and marketing aspect of ESPN held greater appeal than the TV production side. He applied to be a sales rep in Texas and the southwest and had a good shot at the job, he joked, because he was the only applicant.

His ascent essentially mirrored that of ESPN, which began with a heavy broadcasting dose of slow-pitch softball, table tennis, volleyball and Australian Rules football. The network eventually worked its way up to mainstream sports, multiple networks and partnerships with professional leagues and college conferences.

Bodenheimer came through the business side of the company. He was named ESPN prez in 1998, and five years later was appointed head of ABC Sports -- both of which are under the Disney corporate umbrella.

Bodenheimer wasn't grilled about ESPN's reach and influence, though he fielded several questions about sensitive topics. For instance (again, paraphrasing):

Does ESPN's financial stake in broadcasting leagues and college conferences affect its journalism? Answer: We've been walking that line for 32 years, he said. He said that content and journalism are separate arms within the company. He said he's the guy that receives a lot of the calls from aggrieved parties and judging from the volume of feedback, he thinks the company does a good job of keeping them separate and practicing good journalism.

Does ESPN have a bias toward certain marquee teams and larger markets? Answer: It's a balancing act. The network shows the teams and performers people want to see, but tries to be as broad as possible. He admitted that he can see both sides of the argument.

How will ESPN treat competing with NBC Universal, now that it's owned by Comcast? Answer: Comcast was and is a customer and the fact that it's now a competitor, as well, changes the dynamic a bit. It's another challenge in a very broad landscape.

Does he favor a playoff or the BCS status quo in college football? Answer: I leave my personal feelings out of it. Insisted that ESPN merely a conduit. We're not in charge of the college structure, he said. We're given way too much credit for controlling things and pulling strings behind the scenes.

Bodenheimer's answers, while not disingenuous, were a bit facile. ESPN might not overtly pull strings, but the sheer size and reach of the company give it enormous influence over what occurs in sports -- particularly below the professional level. To characterize ESPN as just a sports broadcast company is like calling Apple just a computer and e-gadget company.

ESPN's agreement with Texas for the Longhorn Network was either the first, last or 27th straw in the current round of conference panic disguised as realignment.

ESPN makes for an easy target because of its size and the fact that it tries to be all things to all fans. It wants to be entertaining, it wants to broadcast everything, it wants to practice journalism. Sometimes all those components collide, with unattractive results.

The one truth is that ESPN changed the sports landscape. As the most visible sports entity out there, it will continue to push and reach ever deeper into the psyche of fandom at all levels. Decide for yourself if that's good, bad or indifferent.

October 17, 2011

ODU Lands a Big Man

After stockpiling commitments from wings and perimeter players for its 2012 recruiting class, Old Dominion needed at least one big man. The Monarchs landed one over the weekend in Ekene Anachebe, a 6-foot-10, 255-pound center from Fayetteville, Ga.

Anachebe, a rapidly-improving prospect from talent-rich Georgia, chose the Monarchs over Western Kentucky, Clemson, Morehead State, Chattanooga and UNC Wilmington, among others. He visited ODU last weekend and committed Sunday.

"It's a nice place," Anachebe said. "I liked the players, I liked the coaches, I liked the academics, I liked the city living. Everything was perfect for me."

Anachebe averaged 11 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks last season for Fayette County High, which went 30-3 and reached the state Class 4A semifinals. Fayette County had six players receive basketball scholarships, including Adam Smith, who signed with UNC Wilmington.

Anachebe, whose name is pronounced "EK-eh-NAY ANNA-chee-bee," was also an AAU teammate of ODU commitment Keenan Palmore, a guard from Stone Mountain, Ga.

"Ekene is probably one of the top five big men in the state and Keenan is one of the top five guards," said Team Georgia Elite coach Al Outlaw. "He's a tremendous rebounder and shot blocker. He runs the floor extremely hard. He controls the paint. ... He's a true post guy. He's got a pro body right now."

Anachebe said he is still becoming more comfortable and fluid athletically after some growth in high school. He sprouted from 6-5 to 6-8 in his freshman year. He said that he added another inch during his junior year and since has grown to 6-10.

Anachebe said that Palmore's commitment didn't influence him greatly. He said that once ODU started recruiting both of them, they agreed that it would be cool to play together, but that each of them came to the decision separately and at their own pace.

The prospect of immediate playing time appealed to Anachebe, as was ODU's recent track record with post players.

"Coach (Blaine) Taylor is known for developing big men," said Anachebe, who said he plans to sign a letter of intent during the week-long early signing period in early November.

Anachebe is the fourth member of the Monarchs' 2012 recruiting class, joining Palmore, wing Aaron Bacote from Bethel and guard Deion Clark from Naples, Fla.

October 16, 2011

CAA Rewind, Peculiar Edition

One team is in first place in the CAA because it converted a 4th-and-a-mile play for a touchdown as part of a you're-kidding-me comeback. The other team tied for first is there because it consistently wins the turnover battle and is witheringly efficient on both sides of the ball.

And by the way, those two teams were picked to finish ninth and last, respectively, by the genius keyboard and camera jockeys -- a telling point all by itself.

Week 7 in the CAA featured a bunch of odd and interesting stuff. Nothing was more peculiarly dramatic than Towson's 39-35 Houdini act over Old Dominion in front of the usual sellout crowd in Norfolk.

The Tigers (5-1, 3-0 CAA) scored 15 points in the final 3:13 to erase an 11-point deficit. The biggest play was a 4th-and-29 pass from Grant Enders that receiver Tom Ryan turned into a 63-yard touchdown for the winning points.

"I've been doing this for a long time, at a lot of good places, with a lot of good football players and a lot of good football teams," Towson coach Rob Ambrose said in the post-game press conference. "I don't think I've ever been more proud than I am at this moment."

Some odd stuff from that game: Towson held a 16-minute advantage in time of possession, totaled 535 yards and ran 21 more plays than ODU, yet would have lost if not for converting three or four highlight-quality plays late -- including the fourth-down TD pass and a brilliant onside kick that got the Tigers the ball back after they'd cut the lead to 35-32.

Towson's partner atop the CAA -- Maine -- bounced Rhode Island 27-21. The Black Bears (5-1, 3-0 CAA) jumped out to leads of 21-0 and 27-7 before a couple of late Rhody touchdowns made the outcome a little dicey.

Maine was plus-2 in the turnover department -- the Black Bears currently lead the CAA at plus-9 -- and made both of them count. Vinson Givans intercepted a tipped pass and turned it into one of the shortest pick-sixes in history, from two yards, for Maine's final points. On the first play after recovering a second-quarter fumble, quarterback Warren Smith (18-for-26 for 233 yards and two touchdowns) hit Maurice McDonald for a 41-yard score.

Smith and running back Pushaun Brown (639 yards, 5.2 avg) are having all-conference caliber seasons, and the Black Bears are first or second in total defense, pass defense and pass defense efficiency.

William and Mary always beats New Hampshire -- it's nine in a row now after Saturday's 24-10 decision. The Tribe's Jonathan Grimes had 323 all-purpose yards. He rushed for 169 yards and became the school's career leader, and he turned two screen passes into long TD runs to aid QB Brent Caprio's first start. The Tribe attempted just 11 passes, which was one more than in last year's equally bizarre 13-3 win at UNH.

New Hampshire totaled 517 yards and managed just 10 points, which doesn't seem possible. The Wildcats, averaging 40 points per game, gained at least 40 yards on nine different possessions, but W&M came up with four turnovers and had six sacks -- a school-record five from defensive end Marcus Hyde.

W&M doubled its scoring output, as well. The Tribe rushed for 262 yards -- 147 more than it averaged coming in -- as Grimes and Keith McBride (68 yards, 1 TD) did most of the damage.

UMass scored all 21 of its points in the first quarter, then made them stand up in a 21-10 grindfest at Delaware. The Minutemen gained 180 yards in the first quarter and 65 thereafter. Yet Delaware couldn't capitalize because its offense sputtered. QB Tim Donnelly, so efficient early in the season in relief of injured Trevor Sasek, threw two picks and lost a fumble. Both Donnelly and Sasek played, but neither was consistent.

October 13, 2011

ODU-Tribe Soccer Extra

The simplest analysis of Old Dominion’s 3-0 win against William and Mary was that offense trumped defense.

The Monarchs have demonstrated a propensity for scoring through the first half of the season, while William and Mary has had to rely on stopping opponents because goals have been difficult to come by.

But that doesn’t take into account comparative experience, the Monarchs’ own defensive abilities and the value of playing with a lead.

“You’ve got to give credit to Old Dominion,” Tribe coach Chris Norris said. “They’re a very good team. They remind us, actually, a lot of our teams that we had the last two years. They’re very experienced in the attacking positions, and they don’t need too many chances to create a really good chance.”

ODU (8-2, 4-1 CAA) won its fourth consecutive game with creative play up front and solid defense throughout, capped by several top-shelf saves and smart, athletic play on and offline by goalkeeper Victor Francoz in the final 25 minutes.

Tim Hopkinson, Alex Vaughan and Yannick Smith each scored for the 17th-ranked Monarchs, with speedy midfielder Gideon Asante assisting on the latter two goals.

The Monarchs put only four shots on net – thought they went high and/or wide with at least three other quality scoring chances – and still managed three goals against a William and Mary (7-5, 4-2 CAA) team that has six shutouts.

“It’s huge,” ODU coach Alan Dawson said of the win. “First of all, it’s huge for this team. You have to go on the road in difficult circumstances and look like a team that knows how to win, and tonight I looked at a team that knows how to win. That’s not easy. That’s a process, too. That’s lessons along the way. I’m very pleased that we got a win here tonight on the road against a very good team that’s going to be in the hunt – in the CAA hunt, as well as the NCAA hunt.”

Hopkinson, a sophomore from England, began the scoring in the 25th minute with an unassisted blast from 20 yards that beat W&M keeper Colin Smolinsky to his right.

“I think giving up the first goal,” Norris said, “knowing that we haven’t been a team that’s been prolific at the offensive end, I think it hurt us psychologically. I think that we knew, against a good team, that it was going to be tough to come back.”

Indeed, the Tribe has scored just 12 goals all season, so a one-goal deficit for a team that played 11 freshmen and sophomores Wednesday carries much greater weight.

“Once you go 1-nil up,” Dawson said, “you can do some things and dictate some things. The other team has to adjust for them, they have to chase the game. That’s not easy for them.”

The backbreaker came in the second minute of the second half, when Asante played a through ball into the box and slipped a pretty heel pass to Vaughan cutting behind him to the right. Vaughan then pushed a shot past Smolinsky from eight yards for a 2-0 lead.

Thirteen minutes later, Asante hit a cross from the right side that Smith redirected into the net after the ball had grazed off of Tribe defender Will Smith. Yannick Smith has as many goals (12) as the entire Tribe team.

“Three goals, I’m pretty happy with the offense,” Dawson said. “But typically we create more chances. They limited us a little bit to how many shots on goal we had and how many chances we had. But all three goals were quality, and we’re finding ways to break things down.”

Defensively, the Monarchs controlled play for much of the first 65-70 minutes, even without steady midfielder Jordan LeBlanc, who is nursing a knee injury and will be out for a week or two. They kept track of Tribe senior midfielder Nic Abrigo, who has six of the team’s 12 goals, and withstood a William and Mary push in the game’s latter stages.

“They’re big and physical, which definitely helped a lot,” Abrigo said. “They were able to body with us. And they were smart. They got us offside with their traps plenty of times. When that’s happening, and you’re trying to get through and you can’t get through, it’s definitely frustrating. And their goalie was superb today.”

Francoz, a junior transfer from NAIA school Lindenwood (Mo.), made all four of his saves in the second half, three of which were exceptional. He deflected a shot from Marcus Luster over the crossbar in the 60th minute. He made two excellent saves against close-in shots from Ben Coffey, and came offline to smother a couple of other opportunities.

“We were hoping for the sake of belief and confidence that we would get a goal,” Norris said, “and we felt like we probably did enough to deserve one, but the goalkeeper came up with some excellent saves. He’s probably the best goalkeeper I’ve seen in the league this year.”

The Tribe travels to VCU Saturday before a home match next Wednesday against James Madison. ODU goes to Towson on Saturday before consecutive home matches versus Georgia State and Hofstra.

“I don’t necessarily know that our performance, it certainly didn’t warrant a win,” Norris said. “But I think the two teams are not as far apart as the scoreline might suggest. I think we got caught with some naivete, and I think that psychologically, we’ve got to get stronger, particularly if we give away the first goal in the game.

“But a lot of that comes with age and years of experience. Old Dominion was kind of like that the last two years, and now you can see the result of the majority of their better players being older players, and I think we’re going to get to that point, too. We just, right now, are suffering from some youth and inexperience.”

October 9, 2011

CAA Rewind, Passing Accuracy Edition

We'll get to Maine's Jack Cosgrove and backup quarterback Chris Treister in a minute, since they deserve much love after their calls in the Black Bears' 25-24 overtime win at James Madison.

But we'll start elsewhere. Delaware's Tim Donnelly completed 67 percent of his passes, was intercepted just once, and his team pitched a shutout against William and Mary. But that wasn't close to Saturday's most productive performance by a CAA quarterback.

Eight conference QBs completed at least 70 percent of their passes. Only five won.

Richmond's Aaron Corp set an FCS completion percentage record, hitting 31 of 34 for 353 yards and two touchdowns. The Spiders had 457 yards of offense and never punted, yet lost at Towson 31-28 because they missed a chip-shot field goal and didn't make enough plays on defense.

Towson, 2-0 in the CAA for the first time ever, had eight possessions in the entire game, UR had seven. Old Dominion coach Bobby Wilder, whose go-go offense hosts Towson next week, would have needed a straitjacket and tranquilizers in such a game. That one extra possession was the difference, as the Tigers drove for the game-winning field goal on the game's final play.

Elsewhere, ODU freshman Taylor Heinicke completed 26 of 32 passes (81.2 percent) for 205 yards and two TDs as the Monarchs won their first CAA road game, 31-23 at Rhode Island. The Rams' Steve Probst, the preseason all-conference quarterback, was plenty accurate himself (18 of 24), but threw two picks and by the end of the game was hobbled and mostly immobile.

New Hampshire's Kevin Decker completed 23 of 32 passes (71.8 percent) for 395 yards and three TDs, part of a 557-yard day in the Wildcats' 47-17 win against Villanova. 'Nova's Chris Polony completed 78.9 percent of his throws (15-for-19), but threw two picks, and it's increasingly clear that his team brings a knife to a gunfight on a weekly basis.

Speaking of which, one of the places on which you can count for productive, efficient quarterback play is struggling mightily. William and Mary was shut out for the first time in 14 years as Tribe quarterbacks were 16-for-35 for 139 yards at Delaware. Early season starter Mike Paulus, replacing the ill Michael Graham, completed just 10 of 24 for 84 yards and two interceptions before coach Jimmye Laycock pulled him.

Back to the productive guys: JMU's Jace Edwards completed 76 percent of his passes (13-for-17) to complement Jordan Anderson's 212 yards rushing and a Dukes' ground game that totaled 304 yards.

However, that wasn't enough, as Maine quarterback Warren Smith completed 28 of 40 passes (70 percent) for 295 yards and two touchdowns. While JMU coach Mickey Matthews focused on Smith's efficiency and his own team's porous pass defense, everybody else was aflutter about the Black Bears' execution late in regulation and in overtime.

Maine drove for the game-tying field goal at the end of regulation to force overtime. The Black Bears then answered JMU's first touchdown with one of their own, but instead of kicking the extra point and going to a second overtime period, they went with a trick play -- a muddle huddle kicking formation with seven players to one side of the field, one to the other, and Treister, the backup quarterback, taking a sideways snap from tight end Justin Perillo.

Treister had several options, but called his own number. He rolled to his right, dove ahead near the goal line and helicoptered into the end zone over two JMU tacklers for the winning points in Maine's second consecutive victory against a top-10 opponent.

Asked afterward why employ a trick play and go for the win, rather than kick and play for a second overtime, Cosgrove answered, "Why not?"

No guts, no glory.

By the way, a glance at the standings might prompt you to think they're inverted. Maine and Towson are tied for first, with New Hampshire. The Tigers (4-1, 2-0) already have won as many CAA games this season as the previous three seasons combined. The Black Bears (4-1, 2-0), who tied for eighth a year ago, have won as many games thus far as they did in 2010.

The Towson-Old Dominion (5-1, 2-1) game Saturday at Foreman Field matches the teams picked to finish 10th and 11th in preseason.

Meanwhile, Richmond (3-3) is 0-3 in conference play for the first time since 2003. Villanova (1-5) is 0-3 in the league for the first time since 2004.

For all the talk of parity in the CAA -- and there is both strength and parity -- the best teams annually separate themselves. Since the league expanded in 1993 to include William and Mary and James Madison, no team has won it with more than two conference losses. Only six teams have gone unbeaten in the conference since '93, and just two since 1997 -- JMU in 2008 and UMass in 2006.

October 7, 2011

Tribe, ODU Soccer Updates

Norris' young William and Mary squad and Dawson's Old Dominion team have taken different paths to the upper half of the CAA. The Tribe (6-4, 3-1 CAA), currently ranked 22nd, relies on a defense that has notched five shutouts and permitted just nine goals.

Dawson's 13th-ranked Monarchs (6-2, 2-1 CAA) feature a freewheeling, dynamic attacking group that has produced 22 goals. They've surrendered just seven goals, as keeper Victor Francoz, a transfer, and a recent defensive tweak have solidified the back end.

Both teams enter the heart of their CAA schedules with home matches Saturday -- the Tribe faces George Mason (7 p.m.), while ODU hosts UNC Wilmington (7 p.m.).

"The conference this year is the best it's been in my time at Old Dominion," said Dawson, in his 15th year at ODU. "In the past, there might have been three or four elite teams that were better, but top to bottom, the conference is exceptional this year. ... Every game's a battle."

The Tribe recorded four consecutive shutouts -- the first time that's happened since the 1998 season -- before last Wednesday's 1-0 loss at Georgia State. The shutouts were a reflection of the team's capabilities, while the Georgia State match illustrated the inconsistency that comes from a roster with 18 freshmen and sophomores.

"The game in Atlanta was, hopefully, an aberration," Norris said. "That was one of two games this season where we weren't mentally prepared, for whatever reason. I think we started to believe that we're better than we are, and we didn't have the urgency you need to compete at this level."

Sophomore Will Smith and senior Andrew Mahan anchor the back four. Senior goalkeeper Colin Smolinsky has stepped in ably after getting minimal playing time for three years behind Andrew McAdams.

Midfielder Nic Abrigo has scored half of the Tribe's 10 goals and has a knack for putting himself in scoring position. Patrick O'Brien, the freshman forward from Jamestown, was inserted into the lineup after the Tribe went scoreless at ODU's tournament. He's responded with a goal and an assist, and more important, he's provided an offensive presence for a team that's had a hard time scoring goals.

"We knew that we'd have to be a good defensive team to have the kind of season we want to have," Norris said. "With such a young attacking group, there were going to be games where we were sharp and everything came together, and other games where it would be difficult, so our best chance to compete would be to keep people off the board."

O'Brien is one of a handful of freshmen who've seen action. The two most consistent freshmen have been midfielder/defender Marcus Luster and back Michael Teiman.

Norris said that the freshmen tend to peak and valley from week to week, and sometimes from day to day. Six have received significant playing time, and Norris said he thinks the team will receive more production out of the group as the season unfolds.

"It's hard at times not to look ahead," he said. "If this group continues to develop the way we think they will, it can be pretty exciting for the program in the future. But you have to stay focused on this season and try to push the right buttons."

Scoring goals hasn't been an issue at ODU. The Monarchs blew through the early portion of their schedule, but then hit a bump in a 1-0 loss at George Mason followed by a 3-0 loss at No. 4 North Carolina.

"North Carolina's going to expose a lot of teams," Dawson said. "We had to tweak some things, defensively."

The tweaks included adding an extra holding midfielder to settle play, which they did midway through an eventual 2-0 win against Delaware. ODU followed that with a 4-0 win against VCU last Wednesday.

"I feel good about this group," Dawson said. "The chemistry is good. They like each other. They spend a lot of time together, on and off the pitch. It's a group that's very likeable."

The Monarchs are very good down the middle, with junior forward Yannick Smith (8 goals, 17 points), center midfielder Jordan LeBlanc, back Alex De John and Francoz in the nets. LeBlanc, Dawson said, has been the team's most efficient player, while Francoz is as good a keeper as he's had.

Sophomores Tim Hopkinson and Gideon Assante have four goals and 12 points apiece.

ODU and the Tribe square off next Wednesday in Williamsburg (7 p.m.) at Martin Family Stadium.

"We're thrilled with where we are right now," Norris said. "We've put ourselves in position, in the first 10 games, to have a very successful season. These next eight games will dictate whether we can fulfill that."

October 2, 2011

CAA Rewind, or Backup QB Love Edition

When the calendar hit September, only the most diehard football fans and those paid to know could have identified Michael Graham, Jace Edwards and Taylor Heinicke.

On the first Saturday of October, all three were winning quarterbacks in CAA games -- proving mostly that teams can live with backups, particularly when those teams excel in other areas.

Graham, William and Mary's redshirt sophomore walk-on, threw for 171 yards in the Tribe's 20-16 win at Villanova. Edwards, a redshirt freshman at James Madison, was at the helm of the Dukes' 31-7 demolition of Richmond.

Heinicke, Old Dominion's true freshman and heir apparent at QB, threw for two touchdowns and directed one other TD drive as the Monarchs pulled away from UMass 48-33 for their first CAA win.

All three started for reasons related to competency and adversity. Graham was next in line at W&M after presumptive starter Mike Paulus and backup Brent Caprio didn't impress in the first 2 1/2 games. Graham played reasonably well in a loss to JMU in his first start, which earned him a second start against 'Nova.

Edwards was promoted after starter Justin Thorpe was suspended early last week for five games. Heinicke was tapped at halftime Saturday against UMass when starter Thomas DeMarco was sidelined with a lower leg injury.

Graham and Edwards weren't required to win their respective games, just carry out coaches' orders and not lose them. Both were able to lean on their respective running games and stout defenses.

W&M's Jon Grimes rushed for 137 yards, and Villanova -- with its own quarterback issues -- managed just 200 yards of offense. That wouldn't have been a good half for recent Wildcat teams.

The Tribe converted 9 of 19 times on third down, and 4 of 5 on fourth down. The game was closer than it should have been because of W&M mistakes that provided 'Nova with good field position, but the Tribe defense delivered.

In the second quarter, the Wildcats started a drive at the Tribe 22 after an interception, but managed just a field goal. In the third quarter, the Tribe botched a punt that set up 'Nova at the W&M 10. Again, just a field goal. In the fourth quarter, 'Nova drove to the Tribe 23, but on 3rd-and-1, Jabrel Mines and B.W. Webb combined to stop Kevin Monangi, and Webb then came up with an interception on fourth down.

JMU's Edwards did little heavy lifting, since the Dukes' defense limited Richmond to minus-12 yards rushing and 118 total yards. Spiders QB Aaron Corp was just 16 of 31 for 130 yards and was sacked seven times. UR managed just one drive of longer than six plays on 13 meaningful possessions.

Meanwhile, backup tailback Jordan Anderson ran for 162 yards and two long touchdowns and keyed a rushing game that totaled 297 yards. The redshirt sophomore got a chance because of an injury to Dae'Quan Scott. Anderson ran for 106 more yards Saturday than in JMU's first four games combined.

ODU's Heinicke was the only one of the three new QBs who had to deliver. UMass had erased a 25-love deficit and taken a 26-25 lead midway through the third quarter. But ODU's Jakwail Bailey blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety, which gave the Monarchs the lead again and allowed his teammates to exhale.

After some early jitters, Heinicke hit Larry Pinkard and Reid Evans with long touchdown passes, Pinkard creating on a catch-and-run, Evans simply outrunning the defense down the sideline. Heinicke finished 8-for-11 for 119 yards and the two scores -- part of a 338-yard passing game by ODU's quarterbacks.

The day's other stunner was Maine knocking off Delaware 31-17 in Orono -- not because of the result but the method. The Black Bears scored the game's last 17 points, and Pushaun Brown rushed for 110 of his 193 yards in the fourth quarter.

Delaware's own backup quarterback, Tim Donnelly, remarkably efficient after replacing injured starter Trevor Sasek early in the season, finally blinked. He threw four interceptions, two in the decisive fourth quarter, and completed just 24 of 45 passes for 163 yards.

New Hampshire's high-wire act of a season continued with a 39-32 win against Holy Cross. The Wildcats are 3-1, their only loss to a pretty good FBS Toledo team. Yet they are 116th in scoring defense (43.5), 117th in total defense (523.5) and 120th and dead last in pass defense (367.0). Opponents are completing 70 percent of their passes against UNH -- case in point, Holy Cross' Ryan Taggart, who was 40-for-57 for 412 yards and two TD.

But UNH QB Kevin Decker and the offense find a way. He threw for 352 yards and four TDs Saturday, the last a 60-yard strike to Justin Mello with 1:10 remaining for the game winner. Crazy.

Towson competed well in an eventual 28-3 loss to FBS Maryland, while Rhode Island -- not so much -- in a 35-21 loss to state rival Brown. The Rams and Brown had identical total yardage (424), but Rhody lost the turnover battle, 5-0.